Bonneville Dam is shown on the Columbia River near Cascade Locks. The federal government released Jan. 17, a final version of its management plan for protecting salmon and steelhead killed by federal dams on the Columbia River.

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PORTLAND — The federal government’s management plan for protecting salmon and steelhead populations imperiled by federal dams in the Columbia River basin differs little from its earlier version and continues to rely heavily on habitat improvement.
The court-ordered plan, known as a biological opinion, was released by NOAA Fisheries Service on Friday. Its various iterations have been litigated in court for more than two decades.